Thursday, January 19, 2017

François Hollande today called for a “humane solution, and worthy” is found in the fate of Vincent Lambert, a patient in a deep vegetative state since 2008, in an interview with France Bleu Champagne-Ardennes region.

“now We must find a solution and human dignity in the framework of the application of the law,” said François Hollande, responding indirectly to the mail that he had sent Francois Lambert, the nephew of Vincent Lambert.

he had requested that he intervene to ensure that the university hospital of Reims, where his uncle is hospitalized, resume a shutdown procedure of care, “so the legality is not that theoretical”.

“Nothing is going to change in the hospital without a political decision to be courageous is not to be taken”, wrote François Lambert in his letter dated 10 January.

“We need to find the forms for this act to be applied (…) This may not be the president of the Republic who decides : it is the medical team, it is with the family”, replied Hollande, aware “of the differences that exist in this family”, while stating: “This can not be the president of the Republic who decides”.

In a press release issued this evening, in response to the position of Mr. Holland, Francis Lambert has expressed his “impressions (…) contradictory, because his comments may make me hope, just as they can to reassure the parents of Vincent in their impression that nothing will happen”.

The family of Vincent Lambert tears in effect around the fate of this patient to be the victim of a traffic accident. His parents are against the judgment of the care, while his wife and his nephew are rather favorable.

The university hospital of Reims had started and then stopped two shutdown procedures, treatments, in 2013 and in 2015. But the medical team had decided to suspend this process on 23 July 2015, considering that the conditions of “serenity” required was not sufficient.

June 16, 2016, François Lambert, had, however, obtained from the administrative court of appeal of Nancy that she ordered the hospital to resume the consultations of experts, which may lead to a discontinuation of care. He had then entered, in October, the administrative law judge to enjoin, under pain of penalty, to the university hospital of Reims to resume the procedure on a possible judgment in patient care in accordance with the decisions of the ECHR and the Council of State, who had already pronounced favourably.

“In any State of law, the court decisions contain formulas enforceable by appeal to arms, armed with the justice (…) My mail was nothing other than a request to enforce court decisions. He has the means to do so, directly and through its minister of Health,” insists Mr. Lambert in his reaction.

The parents of Vincent Lambert filed a complaint in late December against the university hospital of Reims for “neglect of person out of state to protect themselves”.

“I expect its proposals (Mr. Holland) (…) to obtain the best possible climate, and imagined it with pragmatism and without idealism. From my point of view, and from the point of view of the judges, the appeasement is unfortunately not an option,” concludes the nephew of Vincent Lambert.